My co-worker is actually a 3D modeler on Shapeways and one of his hobby groups is a RepRap meeting group. They just completed the build of their RepRap machine. I have been working with him to make me a few scaled down Wizard putter key chains/bag tags!

Dig It wrote:My co-worker is actually a 3D modeler on Shapeways and one of his hobby groups is a RepRap meeting group. They just completed the build of their RepRap machine. I have been working with him to make me a few scaled down Wizard putter key chains/bag tags!

Awesome! Dibs if you make extra...

What if you could use 3d printing on a larger scale to make buildings with little waste generated.

I've got a buddy with a MakerBot and he just uses it to make platic protos, then sand casts them in bronze for art work he does. Pretty cool and I've begged him into making me robot parts, but so far I haven't come up with anything DG related to do with it... the prints are pretty rough.

So I asked my co-worker this and he hit his note pad with some algebra/geometry and figured it out.

If you were to make a Wizard, just one disc which is 217 cubic cm, using this technology and the cheapest material you can (which would make R-Pro look like concrete) would cost $215 for just one disc. If you used the best material they have (at least for disc making) it would cost $327 for one Wizard. Also, that Wizard that just cost $327 now weighs 200g and is not PDGA approved. You wouldn't actually be able to make a disc that was PDGA approved using these machines.

After seeing Itchy's post I will specify that using RepRap you cannot and he gives a good example why, but my post is more along the lines of the machines they use at ShapeWays which is a different technology and/or method.

We had a 3D printer in our building when I was in college. Most of the the majors in there had super limited access to that kind of equipment, but us in Industrial Design had almost unlimited access to it. Ours used a starch based chemical. It wasn't horribly expensive but for a college student working 20 hours a week it was a little pricey. If I had to afford it now I probably could. We used it for prototypes tho. It wasn't for fully functional parts. It was pretty wicked tho. One guy actually made a ball bearing that was functional and would rotate. It was pretty sweet.

Yeah, I'd hazard to guess that they made that with an industrial 3d printer and not a hobby machine. Which drives up price but gives better results. Still not something you can do at home. The Industrial Engineer in me wonders what their machine looks like/costs.

Itchy wrote:Yeah, I'd hazard to guess that they made that with an industrial 3d printer and not a hobby machine. Which drives up price but gives better results. Still not something you can do at home. The Industrial Engineer in me wonders what their machine looks like/costs.

They at i.Materialize use the same machine they use at Shapeways (one of the guys in the video started Shapeways and went to i.M). The machine they use is called a Selective Laser Sintering 3D printer and is pretty industrial. Here is a video of one being used and sorry the video is as dry as the powder they use. :/ You can google the SLS term and maybe find some prices.

What would be cool if you had a couple thousand in disposable income is make a Titanium/Steel disc with your specifications from a 3D company and use that to make a reverse mold that you use rubber/polymers in. Ship one to the PDGA for $300 and BAM have your own disc company of PDGA approved discs.